The FINCH Eye is a novel hyperspectral imaging payload we are developing in-house. While many commercially available hyperspectral imaging devices exist, they are not suitable due to limitations on available on-board volume and the cost of developing custom solutions with companies being too large. It is the learning opportunity of the in-house design of this imager that serves as a prime motivation for UTAT Space Systems’ mission.
The process of designing the FINCH EYE hyperspectral imaging camera, we create conceptual designs, CAD models, and physical prototypes. Links to these can be found here (below). Currently, (May 2024) we have a good understanding of the selection of the components, and their general dimensions. Progress with our iterative design is included here for reference. The most up-to-date version of our design is designated as “Build II”.
The text contained further in this page provides a high-level summary of the conceptual design of FINCH EYE, followed by some relevant information on the components comprising FINCH EYE.
The hyperspectral imaging camera must satisfy several operational requirements defined by the Science team, listed in the table below. Meeting these requirements will ensure that the data sent back from FINCH EYE will be valuable - i.e., of benefit to the scientific community. Of course, these requirements must be balanced with what is technically feasible for a student team building a 3U (small volume) CubeSat within a budget. Below right you may find an (outdated, 2022) “Datasheet” with additional details about the expected FINCH EYE performance. (Expected because we have not yet built and validated the payload).
| Specification | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume | w/in 10cm x 10cm x 14cm | ||
| Temperature Range | -40°C to +70°C | ||
| Mass | <300 grams for payload, | ||
| <200grams for pay-mech | |||
| Ground Sampling Distance | x_GSD | <90m | |
| Ground Swath Width | GSW | >8km | |
| Spectral Resolution | Δλ_res | <10nm | |
| Spectral Range | Δλ | 900nm to 1700nm | |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | SNR | >30 (?) |
*These are the most up-to-date requirements as of August 2024
UTAT FINCH Eye Datasheet v2022-03-03.pdf
In the gallery table below, links to our prototyping and CAD modelling work are provided. In Summer 2022, the FINCH EYE “Build I” was initiated, using commercially available substitutes for individual components. This enabled the team to proceed with alignment and testing while the selection of the GRISM, CAMERA, and FOREOPTIC were ongoing. (For example, a transmission grating was used instead of a GRISM for the dispersive element). A Test Bench was made to allow the Optics team to practice performing spatial/spectral alignment on the hardware; these tests can be found in Testing and Measurement Plans. Build I also allowed the Firmware team to develop the code that allows the onboard computer to interface with the camera, and the Data Processing team to develop the data processing software pipeline
Presently (May 2024), the team is working on Build II, which will be made with flight-model components (GRISM, CAMERA, FOREOPTIC, + lenses, slit, aperture stops). We will have not yet completed the optomechanical assembly (Pay-Mech), so the imager will be assembled on an optical table with various mounts and translation stages as necessary. This assembly will be contained inside a clean-bench environment to prevent dust contamination (Mission Ops). The purpose of the Build II assembly is to gain familiarity working with each optical component and practice spatial/spectral alignment on higher-fidelity hardware.